Why Not Me?
by PagetPaulson
Summary: When you're a teenager, everything feels like the end of the world.


Fixing the lens of her new camera, the ambassador's daughter focused in on the couple in her school's yearbook room. "Look right over here," she instructed, waiting until the girl's head turned just enough for her to get the best angle. "Perfect."

She snapped a few pictures and adjusted her flash before letting the camera fall and hang around her neck. "You're all set," Emily smiled.

"Who are you going to vote for?"

Emily turned back to her friend and took the list she had slid across the table. "For yearbook superlatives?"

The bubbly blond grinned. "I'm voting for Tammy and Blake as Romeo and Juliet. Did you see them at homecoming?"

The brown eyed girl chuckled. "If I'm voting for anyone it's for me and my books," she murmured, handing the paper back to her friend. "We have a great relationship."

"What about you and Aaron?"

Emily froze. "What about us?"

The blond shrugged, completely fixated on her computer screen. "I thought you two were cute."

Trying to shrug it off, the rich girl sat herself down at the other end of the table. "It was one date," she said softly, her eyes casting over the pictures she had already taken. "Nothing special."

What her friend didn't know was that the one date they had gone on was the best night of her life. She had built up the courage to ask the older boy out on one date, and he had liked her so much that he was too afraid to ask her out. When the question spilled from her lips, the basketball turned football player thanked God she had done the work for him and quickly said yes.

He had picked her up at five and brought her back home at five the next morning.

They had planned to go on another date when they got the chance - Aaron was busy with his football practices and Emily had piano lessons when her mother wasn't forcing her to those political dinners - but things quickly changed.

"I'm not into his girlfriend," Penelope said with what she thought as a snarl, poking through the girl in question's social media pages. "She's too goody two shoes."

Emily rolled her eyes.

His ex girlfriend had come back to tell him that she was pregnant, and there went their future date plans.

Hearing a small knock at the door, the photographer turned to see the movie club walking in. "Hey guys," she smiled, standing from her seat and gesturing to the backdrop they had set up for photographs. "Two rows, ok? Tallest in the back so I can get everyone's face."

Waiting until they were all lined up Emily smiled, picking up her camera. "Smile."

After the first picture taken they were good to go, and Emily was quickly back in her seat.

"Don't look so deflated, princess," Penelope chided her friend. "There are plenty of beautifully colored fish in the sea, and a lot of the super pretty ones like you," she grinned. "So pick one!"

Emily tried her best to smile at her friend's enthusiasm. The only one she wanted was taken.

"Emily?"

The pair looked to the door, seeing the handsome athlete in the doorway. "Aaron," the ambassador's daughter said quietly, "hey." She stood from the seat, gesturing toward the backdrop to let the older boy know it was ok to come in.

Aaron smiled, his eyes on those small dimples the photographer had in her cheeks. "How are you?"

"I'm ok," she nodded, mirroring his smile. "How are you?" She watched him nod to her, and she slowly backed away. "And how's Haley?"

"She's getting better."

During their four month check up for the baby, the doctor had sent them to the hospital to see if his assumption had been correct. Their baby hadn't made it to the second trimester, and Haley had broken down.

After a month in the hospital, Aaron was allowed to visit her, and a month after that she had been allowed to go home.

He had stayed with her out of guilt.

Emily's eyes softened on the handsome teen, her camera in her hands so she had something to keep her busy. "I'm glad." Leveling the camera in front of her, she fixed the focus to make sure she got the best picture. "How many pictures am I going to see of you in the yearbook?" she teased him, winking over the top of her camera.

Aaron laughed, running a hand over his hair. "A couple. I'm pretty well versed in multiple aspects of life," he joked back.

"I remember," she snorted, not noticing the blond walking into the classroom doorway. "You almost broke my arm stealing the basketball during our one on one game," Emily smiled, laughing along with the older boy.

"Not my fault you need a little practice."

Leaning against the doorway, Haley smiled at her boyfriend. "Almost done?"

Emily's dark eyes cast over toward the seventeen year old. "Yeah," she breathed. The sight of the girl Aaron had left her for never got easier for the ambassador's daughter. "Which photo am I taking?" she asked the football player, feeling small underneath the blodne's gaze.

Aaron straightened his stance. "Just my individual retake. I was out the first day."

Watching Aaron behind the lens of her camera as he got into a good position, standing straight and looking straight at her. The intensity of his stare sent a shiver down her spine, and she gently pressed down on the button.

"Good?"

Emily lowered the camera, letting it hand around her neck. "Perfect." Wanting to spend as much time with him as she could, the brunette turned and gestured to her computer. "Do you want it now?"

Aaron paused. "You can do that?"

"Don't underestimate me," she joked, sticking out her tongue.

The older boy made his way over to the table, waving at Emily's friend he saw smiling at him from across the room. He stood behind Emily as she sat down, and he fought hard from setting a hand to her shoulder.

"I'll print you a copy." Emily took her camera from around her neck and exported her images into the computer. "Go over to the printer," she said, pointing across the room to the photo printer. "It should be out in less than a minute."

Aaron's eyes cast down to the younger girl, watching as she turned to look back at him.

"Aaron, your coach wanted to see you. Remember?"

They flinched at the sound of Haley's voice, and Aaron was quick to walk over to the printer and take out the photograph. He could have laughed. Of course she had gotten the best picture she could on the first shot.

Emily noticed his expression from across the room. "Is it alright?"

"Perfect."

The mirrored sentiment had Emily's eyes moving to Penelope, seeing her grinning in her seat.

Walking over toward his girlfriend, Aaron put an arm around her shoulder. "I'll see you later." Meeting Emily's eyes once more, he made sure to take a second just for themselves before he forced himself out of the room.

 _Perfect_ , Emily thought. Sinking down in her chair, the brunette girl stared at the picture she had taken that was posted on her laptop. _Perfect._


End file.
